Ducks, Geese, Coots, and Gulls at Oquirrh Lake →

On Oquirrh Lake, in the southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley, winter settles in layers. Sometimes the ice rests just beneath the surface of the water. Along the edges, it rises above it.

Ducks gather in large groups, floating calmly where the water remains open. Others move toward the shoreline, appearing for a moment as if they are walking on water, until their feet find the ice and they step forward without hesitation.

The geese don’t always arrive at the same time as the ducks. On days like this, the ducks dominate the lake. The coots, however, seem to be constantly present throughout the year, moving quietly through the same familiar space.

Ducks’ feet aren’t insulated with fat the way the rest of their bodies are. Instead, their circulation minimizes heat loss. By the time blood reaches their feet, it is already cooled, reducing the transfer of warmth to the ice and water below. It’s a simple adaptation, but an effective one.

They don’t seem bothered by the cold beneath them. They simply adjust and remain.

A River Ran Through It - An Amazing Memory

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Photo by Stefano Carini

The memories of summers by the river still allow me to breathe more deeply.

I grew up in a house that sat right along this riverbank as it moved through our town. It wasn’t something I thought much about at the time—it was just there. But memory has a way of refining experience.

The river I carry now is fuller, calmer, almost luminous. Each time I return to it in thought, it feels less like a place and more like a reminder: that life, when we slow down enough to notice it, is quietly astonishing.

This photograph brings those moments back—not exactly as they were, but as they’ve learned how to stay with me.